"The solution to any problem- work, love money, whatever- is to go fishing and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be".
Armed for Stripers and Blues
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It's been a strange Spring. Cold, high water and cold, high winds all of which appear to be over. But there is something "off" with the trout fishing. I've caught trout but there is something unsatisfying about the whole thing. After mulling this over for the last few months I think I've found the problem - I don't want to fish over fresh stockers, especially the dumb rainbows. I've come to the conclusion that every time you catch a clonebow it's just another reminder that the DFW isn't listening to you (if you are a believer in stream born trout) and are listening to the power bait crowd instead who just want more and bigger (triploid?) trout. Why don't they stock more browns? The "off the record" answer was the fish and gun clubs will be ringing the phone off the hook complaining if smaller browns replace larger bows. My answer was that they only complain until Memorial Day. We, flyfishers, will complain all year! We got a laugh out of that but that was about it and the madness continues. According to their own stocking reports the DFW HAS NOT STOCKED THE EB WITH BROWNS THIS SPRING in the Chesterfield C&R section. Why not??? Browns outlast bows in the EB and just about everywhere else. What replaced the browns?? How about the damn tiger trout, that genetic goofball, that the DFW wastes hatchery space on. BTW, I've only found 2 dead trout on the EB and they were both tigers.
Will I stop fishing? No way. I'll just adjust my game. I'll visit the Swift to fish for those great stream born brookies. (two years ago I took 59 brookies from 6 inches to 14 inches on three successive mornings ON DRIES down in Cady Lane. I'll try to target those monster browns on cloudy evenings (not stream born they say but a true survivor) and I'll be working the lower Millers for smallmouth, a totally under appreciated fish. And I will be chasing stripers and bluefish a lot this summer (more on that later).
I love the taste of bluefish!!
Ken
24 comments:
I completely agree with this…there is something about catching trout in unsuspecting places that are stream born which has been my focus this spring and it’s been successful and also exploring new rivers and streams and catching trout is what is what does it for me the stocked fish just aren’t doing it for me anymore…I wish there was a little more emphasis on trout habitat and sustainability then just stocking
I've stopped trying to figure out why the dfw does anything they do. I'm happy chasing my natives and wild browns in un stocked streams that most will overlook.
You love the taste of Blues?! ...this, explains a lot. How do you cook them? I like to catch them, but as for eating them;... not so much.
Hi Ken - I go through seasons like that and understand. Outside of my trip to Montana in April, I haven’t caught Rainbow this season. I have limited my fishing to Housy and only taken Browns. I would say more then half my fish are wild so less then 12 inches, but I few big holdovers in the mix too. It has moved over to summer hours and the morning and evening are dominating. I will soon be on the stockers, but I’ve changed my tactics these days to avoiding the stockers until they have been in the water awhile, at least.
At times unpopular, but I have posted many times that wish that MassWildlife would stop stocking Rainbows in the Swift. Instead let the Brookies take over. Each year add a small amount of Brown trout fingerlings and let it develop. Who knows, maybe the browns will start reproducing materially too.
I am not a smallmouth guy. I probably fit the stereotype. I’ve been catching a lot on the Housy. I find it even more unsatisfying when they are eating dries. I feel like there are more then usual?
Mike,
I like all fish even the dark ones like blues. I like to put them on a hot grill and cover it in a creole sauce (crushed tomatoes, diced green pepper, cayenne pepper and a little soy sauce.
Anonymous,
Your last sentence says it all.
Falsecast,
A two pound Smallie in a river is a thrill. Last year I had a client that took one in the Swift that ran about 14 inches. It fought way above its weight.
Ken
Hi Ken -2 kinds of fly fisherman in the state. Those who get their most satisfaction from catching very spooky and hard to fool natives or wild trout even if they are small. And those who really, really desperately need to hook a fish that will bend the 7 weight tactical hunter “man” rod they purchased. For the latter here’s a secret- there are “fly” patterns out there that imitate trout pellets….. Sooo that’s all I have to say about that.
Hi Ken- I like your assortment of Striper flies as shown, but do not forget Lou Tabory’s “Snake Fly”! Especially in Black at night. It’s a Killah!
Ken,
I'd not had a chance to fish since going to florida over school break with the kids and catching a variety of salty fish on the fly. Finally got out, and decided the high water on the swift would scare folks away and make it more fun than normal. So I went.
I fished big (3-4" long craft fur and fish skull) streamers I usually use for smallies or lmb's and caught a bunch of all three trout species on the swift, it was fun. And only a few other hearty souls enjoying the brisk flows.
That said, I can envision your point RE the browns. The catch and keep folks would lose their marbles if the access to quickly caught 16-18" bow's went away. Sad because browns in many of our rivers would thrive if given a chance.
Have fun in the salt - that's always a challenge. Ditto the smallies on the millers. That's definitely an under appreciated fishery and is crazy fun. Have to admit, occasionally catching a trout using a deer hair diver/popper is also fun.
Most important, just have fun fishing!
Will
Hi Ken — I agree with you about the action on smallmouth. I should have been clearer. I am all for any type of fishing, but I am a weirdo when it comes to targeted species. If I spend 15 mins creeping up on a pool watching caddies rises and hook a smallie, I am not pleased. For example, this April I caught 50 lbs of Whitefish in Montana while trout fishing, still not a bonus. :). I am sure it’s me, haha
Falsecast,
50lbs of whitefish???? You should of had a fish fry!!
Ken
Ken
My son and I fooled 4 rainbows on the Ware this morning. Noticed a few rises in a deep pool and got all on a Hendrickson. Water level there getting pretty low, tomorrow’s rain will be welcomed.
Mike
Mike,
Good work! Yes, I hope one of those T'storms hits that watershed today.
Ken
Sick of catching clonebows Ken?! Head east young man and don’t wait any longer to fish for stripahs! I’ve been having a blast catching them them almost every day since May 10th with my 8 wt in and around the Essex river and the little river which feeds into the annisquam. They are full of fight this time of year which makes one appreciate the beauty of a wild fish!
Ken,
Have you ever fished the dead branch that flows into the westfield? I’m thinking of taking a trek out there soon to see if I can find some brookies.
Brandon
Brandon,
I have not but there are brookies in it if there's enough water.
Ken
Hi ken
I just moved to MA last winter and an looking forward to Surf fish on the fly.
In your blog on strippers/blue.
I am looking forward to your striper/blue blog. I have never surf fished and would be interested in your opinion on the gear needed thanks
I can't stand fishing for what I know are stocked fish either..so I don't. There are many rivers we all know that hold fish over even if they don't have natural reproduction...some have remained fairly absent from this blog but maybe worth another look. Yes they get lots of attention from non-fishers and fishers alike but if you avoid the mid day you can be on your own very easily. And there are lots of trout outside of the C&R areas which we all have a tendency to gravitate towards. I spent last week on the very crowded Beaverkill and Willewemoc systems in NY. FYI they are only crowded if you fish the popular holes -which I did but only when they were empty...there is so much unfished water in between that there is really no reason not to go there-or for that matter to the Deerfield or Housy or Farmington...alternatively you need to blue line and MASS is very under-rated as a blue line state. Fishing for recently stocked fish is just not interesting to me anymore and I suspect you feel the same. The saltwater game is truly another animal...I lived on the coast for 25+ years and did the striper/blue/albie thing for all of that time. Its a blast but I honestly get more satisfaction over hooking a 15" wild trout on a dry ...so I am a trout bum.
Hi Ken,
I fished Cady Lane/the Swift for the first time in 2022 over the weekend. The higher water levels (currently just above 200 CFS) has caused some of the embankment to erode, eliminated a few pools from wading possibility, and surprisingly, made others more wadeable as some areas now have more silt/sediment. A new tree fell sometime on Saturday night/Sunday in one of my favorite pools.
I had all of Cady Lane to myself and pulled about 45-50 brookies out over two days - nothing bigger than 10-12". The only real problem came Monday morning about 10:00 A.M. - (I got there at 6:15) - all of Cady Lane got inundated with kayakers and canoers. They were everywhere, traveling up stream against the current. Many had the decency to travel behind me so as to not disturb the area I was fishing. Many did not. By noontime, I got so I frustrated with all the kayakers that I called it a day and went home.
I really enjoy that river, and I especially love the solitude, but I think I'll be out exploring the Millers and some lines like the rest of your readers if I fish on weekends.
Tom from Boston
Tom from Boston,
1. Cady Lane is a great place to catch wild brookies BUT don't try to fish it on a warm Sunday morning. Kayakers take it over. I've seen 40 to 50 on a typical Sunday morning. It's funny but fishers have to get a license to use the water but these boaters get to use it for free. We pay a tax on fishing equipment and they don't pay anything. A lot of the $$$ used for building launch areas come from, you guessed it, FISHERS!!!!!
Ken
Hey! I bought a kayak and I paid sales tax!
I love trout fishing but the truth is I have had just as much excitement with smallmouths. My best fish ever was a 4lb smallie in a Maine pond. Took forever to bring it in. Most excitement fly fishing ever was on the Ossipee River under the bridge in Effingham. I was casting woolly worms downstream in the riffles. Got a hit on every cast and had those smallies doing somersaults. Small fish with a big fight. My advice is not to overthink or be too judgmental. Fishing is fun and you don't have to stick to one species or one style of fishing. By the way, bluegills on a light fly rod are quite a blast too.
I recommend soft hackles and flatwings for the stripers and blues... particularly for fans of impressionistic flies and FLY FISHING (presentation! floating lines!) as opposed to lure fishing with a fly rod (which can be effective, but not as much fun b/c you always feel like you're handicapping yourself with the equipment as opposed to using the perfect tool to solve the problem). Jack Gartside and Kenney Abrames patterns are all killers... they may not look like much in your hand, but they come alive in the water!
Freelon,
Are you serious???????????????????
Ken
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